Downfall of a Heroine
by Pojko
Summary: Shego was once a hero.  What happened in her life that resulted in her meteoric fall from grace?  Who, or what, was responsible for her transformation from hero to villain?  And how did she come to work for a mad scientist named Dr. Drakken?
1. Champion

Authors Note: Welcome to my latest story. As you can probably guess, this will be a Shego-centric fic. There are a lot of unknowns in Shego's background from before she teamed up with Dr. Drakken. In fact there's a lot about Team Go and Go City itself that was never mentioned in the show. This is just my version of what took place, and what turned Shego from a hero into a villain. Hopefully by the end of the story I can leave some readers saying "whoa" and stuff. Enjoy.

And thanks to my friend Brandon for beta reading. Your sense of style is impeccable, and no, those pants don't make you look fat at all.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

_Thought of the day: _

_Life's so much easier when you've got someone to blame._

XXXXXXXXXX

Sarah's gaze was drawn to her own eyes as she stared into the mirror before her.

No, not Sarah. Not anymore.

She had been given a new name by her brothers. Or rather one brother in particular. He was the oldest and therefore he was the leader. As if she wanted to be a part of his little team. He had always been a nerd. He played with action figures and card games into his late teens. And the video games were even worse. He must be living out his most vivid fantasies at the moment. But one person's dream was another's nightmare. That's how she thought of it at least.

She had been given a new name. Shego. They all shared the style of the name. The brother in question had taken the name of Hego. How original. Because she was a girl and he was a guy. She never let her sarcasm and venom hide when they discussed it. The young man deserved a medal for his brilliance. And she knew exactly where he could shove it once he received it. A rare smile came to her lips at the thought. He probably wouldn't mind so long as he got to keep the medal. He would probably still wear it. Life was so much easier for him. His skin hadn't changed color. Neither had the twins. She felt no anger toward them though. They were still only children, not even teenagers yet. To them this was the coolest thing in the world. But as she had thought earlier…

Shego couldn't help but look at her pale green-tinted skin. It amazed her that she still couldn't get used to it. She had been this way for years now, ever since that fateful afternoon up in the tree house with her brothers. Why did she have to change? Why couldn't it be one of them? She didn't want to be some comic book freak. That was a guy's wish, not hers.

Seven years. Seven damn years of being a freak like this. But at least high school was over now. She had graduated a couple of years earlier. She was now twenty years old. She was an adult. And because she was an adult she could now make decisions for herself. The first thing she decided was that she was going to take online courses rather than go to an actual college campus. The people there wouldn't know her and would no doubt be scared of what they saw. At least this way she could feel secure in her own home.

But Henry, no, she corrected herself. Hego, felt like she should be doing something more with her life. She had been gifted with great powers. They all had. He claimed it was their destiny to do good in the world, to make a difference in people's lives. He had proposed the idea of forming a superhero team like the ones that were in the comic books and movies. She had laughed in his face at the whole idea. Years of living her life with green skin had done that to her. She remembered how sweet she had once been. Maybe because back then she had only been a kid herself. Maybe all people went through the rebellious, angry-at-everyone phase. Hego certainly thought so. He told her she would snap out of it in a few months now that she was out of high school. She didn't believe that to be true.

It was one thing to be a teenager. It was quite another for your friends to begin to distance themselves from you because of how you had changed. Her parents had told her that it's natural for friends to drift apart, especially in high school. People found themselves, became interested in new things, met new friends, all that good stuff. But Shego knew the truth. She knew that it was because of her skin, her hands, her glow…

She had every right to be angry. That comet had ruined her life. She had once wanted to be a teacher. But she couldn't imagine that anymore. She had already been judged once by children because of her appearance. How could she ever stand in front of them for a career? These were the kinds of questions that kept her up at night, the kind that made her want to punch things, the kind that made her cry. Even if she did successfully get her degree online she knew she could never go and teach a classroom full of students. Either they, or her own mind, would make it unbearable for her.

She heard Hego's voice. He was calling her down to the kitchen table. They were supposed to be having their first team meeting. Apparently it hadn't registered with him that she wasn't coming. She wanted no part of his stupidity.

Her hair had not always been black. Her eyes had not always been green. There were still times she didn't recognize herself when she woke up in the morning. Some girls changed their hair color several times a year depending on how they felt. Shego had once considered doing this. But keeping her hair its natural brown color made her look even more disgusting than she already thought she was. Brown hair combined with green skin was not very appealing. Black and green on the other hand was much easier to tolerate. After all, black went with everything. She had taken it a step further and regularly used black lipstick and nail polish.

Hego's voice called out again. This time it was louder, closer. She figured he had climbed the stairs to retrieve her. The knock on the bathroom door confirmed her thoughts.

"Shego? We're all waiting for you," said the muffled voice from the other side of the door.

She glared angrily at the door. She didn't know why. It wasn't like he could see her.

"I told you I'm not coming," she growled.

"Oh come on!" he moaned. "At least one meeting. You have to see how cool this will be!"

She rolled her eyes. He sounded so pathetic when he whined like that. It was another one of those things that put a rare smile on her face. Perhaps it would be worth it just to go down there and disagree with everything he said. Seeing him get upset might really brighten up her mood.

"Fine. I'm coming."

"Okay. We'll be at the Go Table."

She snorted a cynical laugh. The Go Table. Go this, Go that. Everything had Go in it. He had really taken his comic books to heart. She remembered browsing through one of his Fearless Ferret comics. It seemed like every other word in it was ferret. Everything the man owned had ferret in its name. And now Hego was becoming the same way.

She let out a sigh as she opened the bathroom door and stepped outside. As she went down the stairs she thought about what she was going to say to get under her older brother's skin. It wasn't hard when it came to mocking his superhero fantasies. Maybe a few choice insults to his Go Table, his Go Cell phone, his Go Deodorant. But everything became suddenly clear when she stepped into the kitchen.

Her four brothers were sitting there at the table, each dressed in a ridiculous outfit. Henry was clad in a tight black and blue cat suit. Painfully, it left little to the imagination. Shego almost wanted to gag and turn her head rather than look upon that repulsive outfit. It wasn't only a crime to her eyes; it was a crime to fashion as well. What was worse was that her other brothers were dressed like that as well. Michael wore black and purple of the same style. He was only a couple years younger than her. He should have known better. Again she couldn't blame William and Wesley as they showed off their black and red outfits. They weren't even teenagers yet. They didn't know any better. At their age the idea of being a superhero was the epitome of cool.

Shego burst out laughing after a few seconds of taking in the sight in front of her. She didn't even need to plan it. It all came so naturally. She couldn't control herself as Hego scowled at her.

"Shego!" he yelled.

If he was supposed to be intimidating when he yelled it didn't work. Who could ever be afraid of someone dressed in a ridiculous outfit like that? It only encouraged her to keep laughing.

Mego frowned. His skin, like hers, had changed when the comet struck. He had been stuck with pale purple skin since he was eleven years old. He was still in high school, but unlike her he was not shunned because of it. His friends thought it was so cool that one of their friends had super powers. They had actually embraced him while Shego's friends had shunned her. Boys and girls could be so different.

After several more seconds her laughter finally died down.

"Wow. What are you guys doing?" she asked with a hint of amusement still evident in her voice.

"These are our superhero costumes," Mego said with pride.

"Yeah, aren't they awesome?" one of the Wegos asked.

She could tell that it was William who had spoken. She had known the identical twins their entire lives. What would be confusing to others was obvious for her.

"No offense guys… okay I'm totally lying. Much offense intended. Those have got to be the dumbest looking costumes I've ever seen."

"Why don't you try yours on first? Then see how dumb you think they are," Hego told her as he stood from the table.

Shego saw that he had picked up a green and black outfit identical to theirs. He was holding it in front of her and expected her to take it. She swatted it away from her.

"Yeah, sorry, not happening."

"But you have to! To be part of Team Go you have to wear the outfit!"

"Right, to be part of the team. And I'm not. Though I'm surprised you are, Michael. There's no 'I' in team after all. And you're as selfish as they get."

"The name is Mego, Shego," Mego frowned.

"Whatever. The point is I'm not a part of your little team. I just came down here to… well that's not important. Okay?"

"But-"

"No buts, Henry."

"Hego!"

"Fine, whatever, _Hego_," she said. The sarcasm in her voice when she had spoken his name was clear for everyone in the room to hear. "I said I would sit here and attend the meeting. It doesn't mean I'm going to be in a fundraising bake sale, or whatever lame, wannabe superhero stuff you have in mind."

"We are not doing a bake sale!"

"Don't get so defensive. There's nothing wrong with a man who can cook."

"I'm not defensive. You're making a mockery out of everything Team Go stands for."

"Oh really? And what would that be?"

Hego smiled as he set her outfit on the table and walked to a nearby window. He stared out of it for a few seconds before he began speaking.

"This city is troubled by crime. Gangs, drug dealers, common thieves… they all corrupt our beautiful home. The police can't handle everything alone," he said as he turned back to his siblings. "It is up to us to bring justice back to the streets of Go City! It is up to us to make the neighborhoods safe for kids to play in! Like what we had when we were younger!"

"And you're going to do this how…?" she wondered.

"Shego, we have been blessed with magnificent powers. I have the strength of Hercules, Mego can shink down to the size of an insect, and the Wegos can make almost infinite copies of themselves. And you, sister, can ignite your hands with fiery energy. You can shoot blasts of plasma at people. You can cut through almost any material. Just think what we can do with these abilities."

"A bingo hall for the elderly?"

"Will you stop making fun of our superhero team!" he whined. She actually heard his voice crack.

She laughed once more at his anger. It was so easy, yet so fun.

"Fine, go on."

"We're going to fight crime. Criminals will learn to fear the Go Team glow. If there's a robbery in progress we will stop the burglar in his tracks. If a person is being mugged we will beat up the thief. We will right every wrong, we will punish the wicked, we will help the helpless!"

Shego's frown had disappeared by now. What her older brother was suggesting was dangerous. Stop a robbery? Help an attack victim? People involved in those kinds of things usually had weapons. Knives… guns… things that could kill in an instant. What her brother was suggesting bordered on madness.

She was about to call him Henry when she stopped herself. She didn't want to make him even angrier and possibly more reckless than he was.

"Hego, what you're talking about sounds really dangerous. You can't be serious. You can get really hurt, even killed by getting involved with those kinds of people."

To her surprise, he began laughing. Mego soon joined in, followed by the twins. It was as if there was a private joke that they were all in on except for her. She watched him walk over to the counter and pick up a very large, sharp knife. He handed it to Mego, handle first.

"Mego, please demonstrate for our clueless sister."

"Sure," Mego agreed.

Shego's eyes widened in horror as she saw her younger brother take the knife and thrust it at Hego's torso. She screamed as the blade cut through the air in less than a second. Before her scream had even finished she saw another horrifying sight. Hego had punched the tip of the blade. But she didn't make a move to help him. He was actually laughing.

The stainless steel knife had once had a lifetime warranty. It would never bend, never break, never lose its sharp edge. Until now. Hego's fist had crumpled the blade like it was a piece of paper. There wasn't a drop of blood on him. Her brothers smiled at her as she regarded the ruined knife. She was struggling to think of something to say.

"But… what… how?" she stuttered.

"While you've been moping around all these years about your powers, we've embraced them," Hego explained. "We know what we can do. And we know what can, and can't hurt us. There isn't a whole lot out there that can stop me. We haven't tried bullets. But knives can't harm me. Neither can lead pipes, baseball bats, or bricks. I'm impervious to them as long as I use my super strength. I wouldn't be surprised if I could punch a bullet out of the air."

Hego and Mego both began chuckling a bit.

"Wow. Shego, the look on your face when I was thrusting the knife was just precious," Mego said. "Maybe you aren't cut out to be on the team after all."

For the first time in recent memory, Shego's anger got the better of her to the point that her hands erupted in a furious, green glow. She grabbed her younger brother by the front of his outfit and lifted him off of the ground.

"I'm tougher than any of you losers," she snarled. "And I could do this stupid little hero thing if I wanted to. The fact is that I just don't want to."

"Uh huh. Someone's in denial…"

Without a second though Shego threw her purple brother across the room. He landed in a heap against the wall. He winced as he stood up and rubbed his back.

"What was that for!" he yelled.

"For questioning your big sister. Like I said, I'm tougher than any of you. You think that you can take on criminals after how easily I just tossed you across the room?"

"Go ahead Shego, prove us wrong," Hego said as he picked up the outfit again. "Put it on and come along with us tonight. Show us how good you really are."

Shego looked the outfit and then her brother. Her eyes darted back and forth several times before she begrudgingly snatched the green and black cat suit from his hands. Her eyes narrowed at him when she saw the satisfied grin plastered to his face.

"Fine. I will prove you wrong. And after I do you'll see how stupid this whole idea is and you'll give up on it."

"We leave at ten. We're going downtown."

"Do mom and dad know we're going?"

"No. This is strictly Team Go business."

"Good."

XXXXXXXXXX

It was almost time to leave. Her brothers were discussing all kinds of strategies and game-plans that they had read about in comic books. They were comparing themselves to the heroes they had once idolized, the heroes that they wanted to become themselves. They would soon get the opportunity to show their mettle. But until then Shego decided that she would pass the time by watching some television.

She was lying lazily on the couch flipping through the channels. She yawned with boredom as she continued to scan for something decent to watch. Eventually she just settled on the evening news.

She failed to stifle another yawn when she realized that it was in the middle of a story about the city's mayor. Politics were not her favorite topic of discussion.

"-and Mayor Byrd responded to the allegations of misusing public funds and corruption in his office, calling them, quote, 'lies and unsubstantiated fantasy', unquote, by his political opponents. When asked about the current state of the infrastructure of Go City, he gave no comment."

Shego frowned. She knew all too well about what the report was referring to. The roads and expressways of Go City were riddled with potholes. It seemed as if on every other block that some of the street lights were broken. And this was in the good neighborhoods as well as the bad. She couldn't understand how the city could be in such poor shape when taxes had been raised for several years now.

"There was another robbery on the north side last night, making this the fifth such incident this month. The victims in each case have reported that the robbers appear to be gang members, often armed with knives and guns. While there has not been a fatality reported in any of the crimes, many residents in the area fear that it is only a matter of time until a tragedy occurs."

She hated hearing these kinds of stories. They depressed her so much. Thankfully she was raised and still lived in a good part of the city. Crime wasn't much of an issue in her neighborhood. But she still couldn't help but feel sorry for the victims of the robberies. She never wanted to feel the terror of being helpless like that. She looked down at her gloved hands. She knew that she would never need to feel like a victim. Her powers could outdo anything that a common thug could throw at her. Guns and knives could be twisted into scrap metal. Super-heated emerald plasma could make a mockery of even Kevlar body armor. Her brothers were wrong. She had been learning more about her powers.

This is what Hego wanted to stop. He wanted to stop the crime in the city. But how could he? Sure, he may have had super strength, but could that really do anything? She had seen what he could do with a knife, but could he stop the robberies on the north side? What would happen if he was face to face with several weapon-wielding gang members? He shouldn't be responsible for dealing with them. None of them should be, despite their powers. It was a job for the police. The police that didn't seem to exist anymore.

She didn't understand why the police weren't doing a better job. It seemed that ever since Mayor Byrd had taken over that the crime rate had steadily gone up. But at the same time he distracted people with all kinds of gimmicks and promises. He had even stirred up public support by making a bid for a distant Summer Olympic Games to be held in the city. Though the attempt had failed it made some of the citizens in the city rethink their opinion of him. It made them believe that he had their best interests at heart.

As she continued watching the news she saw her brothers enter the living room. William and Wesley would not be coming. Even Hego had seen that they were too young for such a thing. Tonight it would just be her, Hego and Mego. A part of her honestly did hope they would run into some kind of trouble. Maybe then they would see how foolish they were being. And if not then she would have the chance to prove her superiority over them. It was a win/win situation.

"We're leaving," Hego said confidently looked towards the door.

She grabbed the remote and turned the television off as she stood up. She still couldn't believe that she was wearing that hideous green and black outfit. She hoped no one would recognize her. A tiny smirk formed on her lips. Of course no one would recognize her. She was going downtown in a huge city. Besides that, none of her former classmates had seen her in over two years. And even if someone did recognize her she wouldn't care. She didn't care about any of those people anymore.

But as if her older brother was reading her mind, he tossed her a small black mask that fit over her eyes.

"Wear this," he said.

"Uh, why?" she asked as she realized that both of her brothers were wearing them as well.

"Because we're superheroes. We can't just run around letting people see our faces."

"I think people will remember the only girl they've ever seen with green skin."

"Yes, but your Team Go uniform covers all of your skin except in your face. The mask will help cover it even more. And plus it's dark out. It will be a lot harder for people to see your and Mego's skin, and my blue hair."

Shego frowned at her brother's logic. She hated when he was right.

"I guess…"

"Great!" he said happily. "Quickly everyone! To the Gomobile!"

"You mean your 1985 Chevy Impala?"

"Shego!"

"Fine, fine," she laughed. "The Gomobile."

The eldest brother gave her a lasting glare before he and Mego turned and made their way to the front door. Shego lagged behind them, and they were already sitting in the car by the time she exited the house. She didn't know why exactly, but she had a bad feeling about this. But someone had to keep an eye on the two idiots and make sure that they didn't get themselves hurt… or worse.

She climbed into the passenger's seat of the car. Hego brought the vehicle to life and revved the engine excitedly.

XXXXXXXXXX

She felt like a total idiot.

Shego had just stepped out of the car with her two brothers. They were all clad in their ridiculous tight outfits and tiny black masks. Were these things supposed to inspire fear in the enemies of peace and justice? The only thing she figured they would do would be to make them fall over laughing. Maybe they would fall on something sharp and injure themselves. She hoped that wasn't Hego's strategy.

The night was chilly, and the superhero outfits they wore gave them little comfort in the cold. Shego stood next to the car with her arms wrapped around herself trying to stay warm. She gave her "leader" an annoyed glance as he stood around observing the surrounding area.

"It would appear that this part of the city is pretty calm," Hego said at last.

"Thanks for the update," Mego said sarcastically. "Maybe your superhero name should be Captain Obvious."

If Hego was offended by the barbed remark he didn't show any signs of it.

"We should go look around. Maybe check out some of the alleys and shadier establishments."

Shego let out a cynical laugh.

"Yeah, we should just go looking for ways to be seen by as many people as possible in these humiliating outfits."

"We're not going to be able to fight crime if we're standing by the car all night."

"You know most superheroes have some sort of signal or phone line that the police can reach them on," Mego pointed out. "Or they can fly. But the point is we're not going to find a lot of trouble by going around on foot."

"Excellent point," the eldest sibling said. "But we have to get our names out there first. Team Go has to be recognized as defenders of the city before we can go asking for any of the perks that come with it."

"Oh oh! Do you think we'll get our own high tech headquarters place?"

"Not only that, but I imagine we'll get our own supersonic jet."

"That would be so cool!"

Shego groaned as she shook her head in annoyance.

"Look, if you two are done having your little nerdgasm, can we go out and do something?" she asked. "I'm starting to want to hurt you two just as much as all the criminals out there."

Once more, Hego did not give into the provocative language used against him.

"Our sister has the right idea," he told Mego. "Come on, let's go out and find someone in need of help. The sooner we spread our name, the sooner we can become known as the heroes of Go City."

The three of them got back into The Gomobile and drove further north into the city. It seemed that the further they got the worse everything looked. As Shego looked out the window she couldn't help but notice the poor, rundown condition of the area. An endless supply of potholes seemed to dot the streets, while boarded up windows were commonplace. There seemed to be more area of the sidewalks littered with trash than without it. She wondered if the news reports about the Mayor had any truth to them. There was simply no excuse for any part of Go City to be this bad. Sure, in a city as large as this one there would always be places that were in need of repairs. But this was just beyond the norm. A misuse of public funds would certainly explain the condition of the north side. But she dismissed the thoughts as what they were; mindless political banter. If there was anything she hated more than politics, she couldn't think of it.

She began clenching her fists unconsciously as her nerves were finally beginning to catch up with her. She hadn't known if it was adrenaline or maybe just the stupidity of her brothers infecting her, but she finally realized what she was doing. They were looking for trouble. They were looking for lowlifes and criminals who wouldn't have a problem shooting or stabbing you. This could be the last night of her life. It could be the last night for any of them. Super powers or not, it just wasn't smart to go looking for a fight. One way or another, someone would get hurt. She just hoped it wouldn't be her brothers or herself.

She was jolted from her thoughts when the Gomobile was brought to a screeching halt. But before she could open her mouth to yell at Hego she saw something out the window. Or more accurately, someone.

There were many movies and TV shows that showed a young woman out alone late at night in a bad part of town. Most of the time the audience would question her intelligence and laugh about why anyone would put themselves in such a situation. When she inevitably wound up being attacked by muggers or worse, there would usually be someone there to help her. Shego had always questioned the likelihood of that happening. But tonight all of her doubts were cast from her mind.

The woman in question was a pretty little thing; there was no doubt about that. And the men who were cornering her into an alley were the very stereotypical portrayal of gangbangers and thugs. Apparently they didn't mind the cold as long as they could look cool. They all wore some combination of wife-beaters, bandanas, and blue jeans that looked like they would fall from their waists at any moment. They were the epitome of lowlife culture. And they were about to get their first taste of Team Go.

The trio of superheroes once more came out of the car and moved to the front of it. Shego's hands were still clenched without her knowledge. Next to her she could see that Hego was shivering slightly. She doubted it was from the cold.

One of the young men gave the three heroes a long look before lifting his shirt up a bit to reveal a gun in his pants waistline.

"This ain't none of your business," he told them. "You three better get outta here before you start to piss us off."

The adrenaline was back. Getting a closer look at the woman, Shego was almost certain that the young woman in need of rescuing was a prostitute. But the choices that the woman made didn't mean she was any less human. Her faults and weaknesses only put her humanity on display for the whole world to see. And Shego could clearly see that she was in desperate need of help.

"You guys better leave her alone or you'll be sorry," Hego said as his voice cracked a bit.

Looking at him, Shego could tell how apprehensive he was about the current situation. It was easy to talk a big game when there was no threat to you or anyone else. It was easy to be brave and bold when a group of gangbangers weren't standing a few feet away from you with guns and knives. But there was no backing away from this now. If Shego walked away from this, she would be haunted for the rest of her life knowing that she could have done something to help the woman in her most desperate hour.

By now they had the attention of the entire gang. The thug who had spoken looked the siblings up and down, attempting to assess what he was seeing.

"What's wrong with you? Are you stupid or just crazy? Halloween ain't for a long time. What are you doing dressed up in those stupid-ass outfits?"

"Have you looked in the mirror lately?" Mego said.

She knew that her younger brother was brazen and often said the dumbest things at the worst times, but this one topped them all.

The would-be mugger was shaking his head and mumbling something to himself as he began walking towards the man in purple who had just insulted him. In a flash he swung a fist aimed at the center of Mego's face.

He hit nothing but air.

In a panic Mego had shrunk down to the height of the young man's kneecaps.

The thug looked around in disbelief as he wondered what had happened to the loudmouth freak. His eyes widened when he saw Mego standing directly in front of and below him. He reached down under his shirt to his waistband to retrieve his gun.

He never got a chance to pull it out.

A glowing green fist connected with the criminal's right cheek and sent him flying off onto the sidewalk.

Shego stood there breathing heavily as she looked at the stunned men who only a few seconds ago were confident that they were about to see their leader kill the people who were interfering with their fun. Now they, along with Hego and Mego, were simply standing there in shock.

"Well don't just stand there," she roared to her brothers. "Fight them!"

Filled with a new sense of courage, Hego gritted his teeth as he charged forward at the remaining muggers. With one swing of his superhuman fist he sent another of the thugs flying even further than Shego had sent the one she had made contact with. He handed with a satisfying thud several feet away, and was not about to get up anytime soon.

Panicked young men began to desperately reach for their weapons, but were unable to do so. Mego had shrunk down to the size of a mouse and had been able to get behind them without detection. Another of the men fell forward as Mego's own fists began raining blows down on the back of his head.

Shego's teeth were barred as she swung viciously at another of the criminals who was attempting to flee from the scene. She didn't let him run though. This was cathartic. It felt good to be unleashing years of anger and pain onto this man. She held the front of his shirt firmly in her left hand as she pounded his stomach and face with her right fist. She didn't even need to use her Team Go glow to beat him. Along with their own unique superpower, each of the siblings was enhanced with superior strength, speed and agility. Combined with their other powers they were a formidable force. And it was never any clearer than on this night.

The five men who had thought of themselves as kings of the city were now bloodied and broken, their bodies strewn all over the street and sidewalk. None of them had the strength to pick themselves up off of the ground, much less put up a futile fight.

As Shego watched her oldest brother reach into the pockets of one of the young men and take out his phone, she saw the young woman fearfully walk over to her and Mego.

"T-thank you for helping me," she said timidly. "I… I don't really know how I can ever thank you for what you just did."

She jumped in fright as Hego spoke right behind her. She had been so focused on thanking the other two members of Team Go that she had forgotten about the third.

"There's no need to thank us," he said proudly. "Just remember that Team Go is always on the lookout for evildoers and villains. Spread the word. We're taking this city back from the criminals."

The woman nodded wordlessly. Shego wasn't sure if her speechlessness was because of awe, fear, or maybe even confusion, but it was clear that she couldn't bring herself to verbally respond.

Hego flipped the cell phone open and dialed a number before putting it to his ear. They all knew instantly who he had called.

"I would like to report an attempted mugging on the corner of Belmont and Jefferson," he said to the police dispatcher. "But there's no need to worry, Team Go has thwarted the crime and incapacitated the five criminals. We just need you to send a few cars to pick them up and put them behind bars where they belong."

Normally she was put off by his displays of arrogance. But right now she didn't care. All of her doubts and worries about doing this disappeared when she heard how grateful the woman they had saved was. She had made a difference. She had helped someone. She might have even saved a life on this night. It felt good.

She wondered what the other half of the conversation was as she continued listening to Hego speak.

"No no, it's Team Go. G-O," he said as he was trying to explain that he wasn't crazy. Look, we're superheroes, okay? And we will be watching over the city from now on," he said before pausing. His eyes widened in disbelief. "No this isn't some kind of terrorist threat! We just saved a woman's life!"

She and Mego chuckled a bit at their brother's mounting frustration.

"Just tell everyone that Team Go is a team of superheroes, okay? Like in comic books," he said before another brief pause. "No I'm not crazy! You'll be hearing more about us in the future. And that's not a threat. We're the good guys. You'll see."

Unable to take anymore of the conversation, Hego ended the call and threw the phone back next to its owner. It had probably shattered on impact with the street, but it wasn't as if the man would be needing the phone where he was going.

"Well, I would have to say that this has been a very successful night," he announced to his two siblings. "Quickly, to The Gomobile!" he said before running off toward it.

Shego and Mego stood there dumbfounded by his hurry to get away from the crime scene so quickly.

"Guys, the cops are coming!" he explained. "And they think that I'm some kind of crazy terrorist. I don't want to be here when they arrive. I think it will take a few more heroic exploits before they believe that we're actually superheroes."

There was no arguing with that logic.

The three of them raced back to their car and quickly drove off, leaving the young woman and five incapacitated criminals to explain what had just happened.

A rare smile graced Shego's lips as they began their drive home. Maybe this superhero thing would be fun after all.

XXXXXXXXXX

Bright headlights from several vehicles pierced the blackness of the cold mid-March night. They had finally arrived at their destination. Of course it had to be far outside of Go City, but not too far that it would be inconvenient to visit on a regular basis. A project this secret needed to not only be well-hidden from the general public, but also easily accessible for those who were involved in it.

Several men exited after the doors opened. They looked off toward Go Mountain and saw that there were several small lights visible. Men were no doubt busy at work on the beginnings of this most important project. They were forced to work day and night to get it completed as quickly as possible. That's what the mayor wanted. And that's what the mayor got.

Drew Lipsky stuck his hands in his coat pockets as he glanced at the mayor of Go City. The man's bright red hair was thinning on the edges of his head, and yet remained thick in the center. Drew found humor in how unusual it made him look. But the man's most striking feature had to be his nose. It had more in common with a Toucan bird's beak than a human nose. It was most fitting for a man named Mayor Evan Byrd.

All around him, Drew noticed that there were intimidating men wearing suits. They were no doubt the mayor's security detail, but did one really need so many? Especially here and now it seemed a bit overkill. Then again it wouldn't surprise him if overkill and intimidation were what the mayor was going for. Especially with the project he had in mind.

Another man was approaching their position being accompanied by what looked like two more of the mayor's men. They stopped a few feet away from Drew.

"Mayor Byrd, this is an unexpected visit," the man said a bit worriedly.

"I figured that unexpected visits are the best kind. It gives you no time to make the place look better than it really is. So tell me, how are you progressing?"

Drew couldn't help but think of how shady and untrustworthy the mayor's squeaky voice made him sound. He wondered how the man had ever been elected to office the number of times that he had.

The newcomer swallowed before he began speaking.

"Well, our excavation teams have begun work on penetrating the rock of Go Mountain. Every variable has been accounted for, and I fully expect things to add up to what we're expecting."

"Good, very good," Byrd said before turning to Drew. "Oh where are my manners. Drew Lipsky, this is Matthew Dexter, the chief engineer on this site. And Drew is the chief scientist who will be involved with Project PARROT."

Matthew's eyes narrowed slightly when he shook Drew's hand.

"Lipsky… where have I heard that name before?"

Drew pulled his arm back quickly and attempted to avoid making eye contact.

"Nowhere. I'm nobody particularly important," he said quietly.

Mayor Byrd ignored the tension and resumed his conversation with Matthew.

"So Mr. Dexter, when can I expect The Nest to be fully operational?"

"Well as you can understand this is a massive project. It will take time to carve into and under the mountain and turn it into the high tech facility and laboratory that you've requested. I estimate it will take upwards of three years to complete."

"That's absolutely unacceptable!" Byrd shouted. "My term runs out in two and a half years. I want this thing operational before then. Are we clear?"

"But Mayor Byrd, if you would only give me additional resources I could subtract the amount of time for the final product to be completed."

"I'm having a hard enough time getting you the resources you're receiving now," he grumbled. "The media is starting to suspect something. They're running reports of how I'm not using the taxpayers' dollars to maintain the city and put police officers on the streets. But those idiots don't realize that once Project PARROT is complete that we won't need police anymore."

Drew silently considered Byrd's words. The mayor was nothing but an arrogant fool who was fiddling with knowledge beyond his understanding. But he said nothing.

"I will need more money then. I need more manpower and resources if you want this completed while you're still in office."

Byrd kicked up a cloud of dirt in anger.

"Fine. I'll get you your money. Just try to stay indoors at night from now on. This city is about to get really ugly."

"You do what you have to do. If my calculations are correct and I receive what I ask for, then you will be able to see everything finished and operational in just about two years."

"That's more like it. Continue your work, Mr. Dexter. Don't let us keep you from it."

Mayor Byrd motioned for Drew and the rest of his men to return to their black limousine.

As they drove off Drew couldn't help but think about how he had come to be here. His life up to this point had been filled with disappointment and sorrow. But if everything went well here he would be on top of the world in a little more than two years. He grinned as he imagined the possibilities that his genius would make a reality.


	2. Lost Innocence

Authors Note: A big thank you goes out to everyone who checked this story out. It's not the kind of thing I usually write, and I wasn't sure what kind of response it would get. I appreciate everyone who took the time to read and review.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

_Thought of the day:_

_Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment._

XXXXXXXXXX

A loud crunch could be heard as Shego drove her elbow into the soft cartilage of a man's nose. Blood sprayed out as he fell to his knees clutching his wounded face. She ran her tongue across her lips with satisfaction as she heard the man's muffled screams while he knelt below her. She could hardly believe how much fun she was having. It never seemed to get old. The thrill of the fight, the adrenaline rush, her overwhelming superiority over other people… it was all so intoxicating.

Even after two years of battling against crime she didn't get tired of moments like this. She and her brothers were currently fighting a band of bank robbers who had the audacity to break into Go City First National Bank. They were a well-organized group; there was no doubt about that. They were all equipped with body armor and an assortment of automatic rifles. They even had a stolen armored car for escape purposes. The police officers were all but helpless against them as they took cover behind their cars and took shots at the criminals. The robbers might have even stood a chance of succeeding had it not been for the intervention of Team Go.

Shego ignited her hands as she saw another of the men raise his rifle at her. It took less than a second for her to send a searing burst of emerald fire at him. The barrel of the gun melted before he could get a shot off at her. Bubbling liquid steel crept down onto his fingers and scalded the man as he cried out and tossed the gun up. As he desperately tried to rid himself of the source of his pain he felt an entirely new one.

Her glowing fist was sent crashing into his chest. She clearly felt a pair of his ribs break from the force of the blow. Like the man who she had previously been facing off against, this one too fell to his hands and knees and began taking heaving breaths as he tried to fill his lungs with oxygen.

Shego's head whipped back in laughter as she took in the situation before her. Every one of the bank robbers was down for the count. She and her brothers had made short work of the criminals who the police had struggled so mightily against. Hego had taken down as many as she had. When he was roused to anger he was truly a force to be reckoned with.

In their sparring matches he always gave her a good workout. The first time they had fought each other he had beaten her. He had not done so since. It had wounded her pride, and she had vowed that he would never again defeat her in a fight. He may be incredibly strong, almost beyond what she could comprehend, but that was also his weakness. Hego relied purely on his own strength and resilience rather than his wits. He didn't feel that he needed to learn new techniques or moves. Shego was not only quicker and more agile than him, but she also knew that he was stronger than her. She had to figure out new ways to defeat him on a regular basis. Her mind was always working even as they fought as she tried to exploit every weakness and opening that he showed her. In the end her style of combat won the day.

As she looked down disdainfully at the man she had just incapacitated she noticed her brothers walking toward her. Hego, Mego, and the Wegos had finished their own battles and they knew that it would be time to meet the media soon. Recently her two youngest brothers, known to the team and media as the Wegos, had joined the team. Hego had deemed them old enough to come with them on their heroic exploits and help the people of Go City. Their power was perhaps the strangest of all of the team. Each could make hundreds, perhaps even thousands of copies of themselves. They had never tested the full extent of the numbers they could create, but Shego had little doubt that they could create a small army of themselves if they wanted to. The only downside was that the more copies that were made, the weaker each was. But their motto, and rightfully so, was quantity over quality.

"That was an excellent job, Shego," Hego congratulated her as he looked down at the wheezing man on the floor.

"You weren't so bad yourself," she smirked back.

He frowned softly as he continued looking down at the man.

"What did you do to him?"

"Oh nothing too bad. A couple of broken ribs. He'll live."

The eldest brother nodded in understanding.

"Yes. I suppose he will. Well it would appear that this crime has been foiled."

"Yeah, it would _appear_ that it has," Mego said mockingly. "Ya know, because we're right here. We're the ones who stopped it."

"Mego, must you always criticize the team leader when the press is around?" Hego said as he motioned to the numerous reporters and cameramen who were beginning to flood the scene.

"Well excuse me, Captain Obvious."

"What did I tell you about calling me that?"

"Both of you shut up," Shego growled at them. "Or do you want us to look bad on camera?"

"Our sister is right," Hego said as he smiled and waved at the cameras. "We just stopped a major crime in progress. It's time to face our adoring public."

Over the past two years Go City had come to know and love their superhero protectors. Their first night of action had dealt them less than ideal results. For several weeks the police had been convinced that Hego had first been the leader of a domestic terrorist organization, and then the head of a brainwashing comic book obsessed cult. But once the media had seen them in action and showed video of them on the evening news, the public began to learn the truth. Team Go was the blessing that the city had been waiting for. They had come to deliver the good people from the crime that was overtaking their homes. So great had the public's adoration been for them that Mayor Byrd had given them a gift.

Go Tower had once been a monument that stood out at the mouth of Go City's harbor. Like the ancient Colossus of Rhodes, ships coming and going from the ports could see the mammoth structure as they passed. But in the past decade the building had fallen into disrepair. In the most recent years it had gotten even worse, much like the rest of the city. With his public approval rating falling at an unprecedented rate, Mayor Byrd had decided to appease the public by giving the tower to Team Go as a place for their headquarters. Hego had graciously accepted the gift on behalf of the rest of his siblings, and in no time they as well as a large group of volunteers had repaired the tower and turned it into a high-tech fortress for the superheroes to use. It was now their home, and where they spent most of their time when they were not on the prowl for the criminals who stalked the city's streets.

Shego looked over as her oldest brother began to be swarmed by journalists and cameramen, while further back a crowd of people were snapping pictures of him as he spoke.

"Hego! What do you have to say about this latest crime that you and your team have foiled?" one of the journalists asked as she stuck a microphone into his face.

"Well Diane, I would be lying if I said that it wasn't a big deal," he began. "As you know, Team Go, the city's noble defenders, have been very busy lately. This was a huge crime we just stopped. Imagine what would have happened to the city if these robbers had succeeded in stealing hundreds of thousands, no, millions of dollars from the vaults of this bank. I think it's important to realize that without Team Go that the city would be in even worse shape than it is now."

The reporter seemed star struck as she nodded stupidly and agreed with everything Hego had just said.

"Hego!" another member of the media screamed. "Do you believe that what you and your family are doing will eventually stop the terrible crime wave that has plagued the city in the past couple of years?"

Hego smiled as took a moment to consider his response.

"Chuck, I honestly do believe that what my family and I are doing is truly great," he said without a hint of doubt in his voice. "While it is true that the situation is currently very bad in the city, things would be a lot worse if not for the valiant efforts of the city's courageous defenders. I certainly do believe that things are improving, and that soon the results will be even clearer to see."

"What about the rumors that the mayor is planning on holding a dinner in your honor!" another man asked.

Shego rolled her eyes as she turned away from the blinding flashes of the cameras and back to the rest of the team. Hego was their spokesperson. He was the most comfortable in front of the cameras and spoke smoothly and easily to the journalists. She and Mego had once given interviews to the members of the media, but in the end it was decided that their abrasive attitudes did not present the image that Team Go needed to give to the public. At least that was what Hego had decided. And as the leader what he said went.

She folded her arms as she leaned back against a wall next to Mego. He was already in the same position as they both stared off at their brother conducting interviews. Mego let out a soft laugh after hearing his sister groan in annoyance.

"And he says that I have the huge ego," he said with a hint of humor in his voice.

"Well there's no doubt that you're a narcissistic jerk," she smirked.

"Yeah, well at least I'm honest about it," he countered. "But look at him go. Every time he's in front of a mic all he does is praise what we do and tell the people that we're their heroes, and that without us the city would surely be lost. And then he tells us that he's saying it for all of our sakes, and that it's presenting a good image for the public."

"And you don't think that's true?"

"Of course it's true. To a certain extent. He's definitely giving us a good image. But it's all about stroking his own ego. Ever since he got the powers all he wanted to do was impress people with how strong he was and beat all the other kids in arm wrestling. And now look at him. All he's doing is beating those journalists in an arm wrestling competition."

"Look who's getting all philosophical," she cooed. "If I didn't know any better I'd say that you were jealous about him hogging the spotlight.

"You're damn right I'm jealous!" he said angrily. "I do just as much as he does. And what do I get for it? I get to sit in the background and watch him be the face of Team Go. It's not fair. We're all siblings and we should all have an equal part in the team."

"Do you even remember what happened the last time you gave an interview?"

"Well… see memory is a funny thing. There's what you remember, what I remember, and the truth."

"You hit on the woman who was interviewing you!"

"Hey! She came onto me first!"

Shego snorted a laugh as Mego looked at her in frustration.

"I think you're lucky she didn't try to sue you for sexual harassment."

"Okay, how was I supposed to know that she wanted to see me shrink when she asked to see 'Little Mego'?"

"You're hopeless," she said as she continued to laugh.

"Well you're the one who told the reporters to stop asking you so many stupid questions."

"They were stupid. All they do is keep repeating the same stuff over and over again. 'Shego what was it like to save that woman? Shego how do you feel about stopping that armed robbery?' Seriously, what do they expect me to say? That it was a waste of time or something?"

"Still, we should get a chance to be in the spotlight too."

"I'm fine not talking to those idiots. You're the one with the ego issue, Michael."

"Hey, what did Hego say about using real names in public?"

"And do you always do what Hego says?"

"Well, no. But it's still important to maintain our covers."

"People are stupid. They still haven't figured out who I am, or anyone else. Honestly, you've only been out of high school a couple of years. You'd think they would remember the only guy in the world with purple skin, or the chick with green skin."

"Yeah, they may be stupid, but they're the reason we have that sweet home in the harbor."

"Them and Mayor Byrd," she said before pausing. "By the way, when was the last time he called?"

"You mean intrusively show up on the huge TV screen in the middle of our command room?"

"Yeah…" she said uneasily. "I really wish that Hego hadn't agreed to install that stupid screen. Byrd can just pop up and see us whenever he wants."

"He called again last night. He keeps asking the same question."

"And did you give him the same answer?"

"Of course I did. I may be an arrogant jerk, as you said-"

"Narcissistic jerk," she corrected him.

"Whatever!" he yelled. "The point is I'm not stupid. I know a bribe when I hear one. And I know that he's up to no good with whatever he wants us to go out there for."

"Right. Good to know I raised you well."

"You really need to cut the whole 'big sister' act out. You didn't raise me-"

"More than mom and dad."

"Just drop it, okay?"

"Whatever. Have it your way."

They looked back at Hego and saw that he was still answering questions. For Shego this was the worst part of a mission. There were few things in the world that she enjoyed more than cracking skulls together and reveling in her dominance over the criminals that she fought against. It was the aftermath, the cleanup, which she hated. It was usually around thirty minutes of Hego answering the same old questions from the journalists who fought each other like rabid dogs for an opportunity to interview Team Go's leader.

She looked down at her tight black and green gloves. By now she had gotten used to the ridiculous superhero outfit. As her brothers had explained to her many times, comic book characters wore all kinds of clothes that no sane person would ever be seen wearing in public. She had even begun to enjoy it a bit. She was after all a celebrity in everything but name. Every person in Go City knew who she was. They knew her persona of Shego, the second oldest member and the only female in Team Go. They knew that she wielded glowing green fire in the palms of her hands. They knew that she stopped crime and protected the innocent people of the city. And for this they revered her.

Shego smiled as she thought about how wonderful her life had finally become, despite everything that had been thrown against her.

XXXXXXXXXX

As she took a seat in her green chair, Shego couldn't help but smile at all the little details that Hego had imported from the world of comic books. For starters everything seemed to be color coded. Everyone knew their place at the round table at Go Tower. She had a green chair, Hego had a blue one, and so forth. Then there was that hideous jet. What kind of designer could have possible come up with that paint scheme? The white was fine. The random stripes of their Team Go colors on the other hand were not. It was a flying eyesore. The only consolation was that she got to pilot it.

She blew a few strands of hair out of her face as she put her feet up on top of the table and leaned back with today's newspaper in her hands. She flipped through the seconds until she found the article she was looking for.

"Yesterday marked another victory for the people of Go City when Team Go managed to stop a bank robbery in progress…" she read aloud to herself.

She couldn't keep the smile from forming on her lips. She enjoyed the publicity and the fame. She couldn't deny that. But she also enjoyed helping people. That was what mattered most to her. She loved saving people who were in need. She loved foiling crimes and getting a glimpse of the thankful expressions on the citizens faces. Anything that came with it was just an added bonus. She would even go as far as to save the world if she was ever called upon to do so.

A sudden noise stirred her from her reading. She looked up in annoyance as she saw Mayor Byrd's sneering face appear on the large screen on one of the walls. She knew that he probably didn't intend to be looking the way he did. But he just looked like a weasel. No, not a weasel. Like his name suggested, he looked more like a bird. His long, hooked nose was the source of much humor when combined with his last name.

"Good morning Shego," he said warmly. "I just wanted to commend you and the rest of Team Go on the… fine job you did yesterday."

"Uh huh," she said uninterestedly.

"Had it not been for you the bank would have surely lost hundreds of thousands of dollars," he said before pausing for a moment to look around the room. "Where are your brothers anyway?"

"I don't know. Sleeping maybe. It is eight in the morning after all."

"Yes, yes, of course. Well you know what they say. The early bird gets the worm."

Shego sighed softly as the mayor began laughing at his own joke. She didn't so much as offer a pity laugh for him. He probably didn't notice anyway. He was too busy cackling away at what he thought was great humor.

"So is there a reason you called?" she said when his laughter began to subside.

"Oh yes, of course there is. I was wondering if you would consider my offer once again. I would only need you to come to a brand new facility that is near completion to undergo… precautionary testing. But after that I can assure you that I could make you and your family very wealthy and famous. What do you say, Shego?"

"Look Byrd, the answer is still no. You heard 'no' from Mego. You've heard it from me before. And here it is again. The answer is no. We're not interesting in whatever it is that you're offering. Okay?"

"But Shego, I gave you the very tower you're sitting in. That has to count for something, doesn't it?"

Shego let out a heavy sigh when she thought about where this was going. He was going to attempt to make her feel guilty and that she owed him something for the gift of the tower.

"First of all, you didn't do anything but hand over an abandoned piece of city property. It was already starting to decay when we got it. It took a lot of effort from a lot of people to get this place back in shape. And I don't remember you being out there with all the volunteers."

"Details details," he said dismissively. "The fact of that matter is that I'm the one who allows you and your brothers to have as much freedom with the law as you do. I'm the one who deputized you."

"Only after the public outcry got so big that there were rallies being held outside of city hall," she said before smirking menacingly at him. "By the way, when was the last time one of those 'remove Mayor Byrd from office' rallies was held?"

"Enough!"

"Can't handle the truth? Maybe you should be doing something about the crime rate instead of having to rely on my brothers and me."

Shego continued smiling when she saw that Byrd's face was becoming red with rage. If she could see his hands she was sure that they would be shaking from the anger coursing through his veins.

"You shouldn't get too cocky, young lady," he growled. "No one in this city is unexpendable."

"Yeah, because one of the only five people in the world with comet-gifted superpowers is expendable," she said as she examined her fingernails.

"That will all be irrelevant soon enough," he said as his tone turned serious. "Very soon you will need to make a choice. And you had better hope that you change your current attitude when that time comes."

Shego swiveled the chair around and placed her feet on the floor before standing up. She knew that it wouldn't make a difference since Byrd was not actually in the room, but it made a statement nonetheless.

"Are you threatening me, bird brain?"

"No no, of course not," he chuckled. "You are part of Team Go. You are the city's valiant defenders. You do all of us a public service by fighting crime. I have nothing but the best thoughts and intentions for you and your brothers."

She eyed the screen carefully as she took her time to reply.

"Good," she said at last. "That's what I thought."

"But if you would please pass my invitation along to your brothers, Hego especially, I would be most appreciative."

Shego's expression turned dark as she glared at the huge face that dominated one of the walls in Team Go's command room.

"I told you. We're not interested. And let me make myself very clear with this next part. If you ever call here again and ask us to go to your little laboratory or whatever other crap you have to say, I will hunt you down, and I will make sure you can never ask that stupid question again. We serve the people. Not you. Got it?"

The mayor remained calm this time as the two stared at each other in silence.

"Very well. You have made your own personal decision. You will not receive this offer again."

"Good."

Without another word Shego ended the call. She let out a frustrated sigh after Mayor Byrd's face vanished from the screen. She knew that he had serious issues. And she knew that somehow, someway, he was connected to the current plight of the city. The only problem was that she had absolutely no evidence. And one could not convict a man off of a gut instinct.

XXXXXXXXX

With a helmet held in one arm, Shego leaned impatiently against the wall as she waited for her brothers to be ready for the night's action.

"Will you people hurry up? It's not like you have makeup to put on or anything. What's taking so long?"

She heard Hego's rather annoyed voice coming from another room.

"We're a bit busy right now!"

"You'd better not be looking at dirty fan art of Sheela of the Leopard People again!"

"Shego, if you want to talk to us come in here. You know that there are certain protocols and procedures in the Go Tower!"

She took the opportunity to silently mock what he had just said. Hego certainly did like his rules and regulations. She had little doubt that he had gotten them from his comic books too.

"Whatever," she said. "I'm taking the boat out to the mainland. Meet me at the rendezvous point. You remember where that is, right?"

"Yes Shego!" another voice that she recognized as Mego's said. "You don't need to keep bossing us around. We get enough of that from Hego already."

"Hey!"

"Well sorry Hego, but you do."

Not in the mood to argue with her brothers again, Shego took the opportunity to leave to tower and start up one of the speedboats that Team Go had access to.

She knew that Mego was wrong about what he had said. She did need to boss them around. If it wasn't for her they wouldn't get anything done. They would spend all day bickering about trivial nonsense, or just wander off to enjoy the perks that came with being beloved by the people. She kept their focus sharp and true.

It did not take long for her to reach the mainland of Go City. Once there she headed toward the private parking garage that housed Team Go's vehicles. Inside there were only two of them. The Gomobile had been completely replaced with a brand new car that put the Ferretmobile to shame. Like the team's jet, it too was painted white with ugly bands of colors decorating it.

Shego had opted to have her own vehicle. It wasn't even about being seen in the abomination known as the Gomobile. She just wanted to get away from her brothers. She may have loved them, but she couldn't stand to be around them for extended periods of time. They caused her no shortage of annoyance when they discussed lame things like superhero protocol, or what they would do if they were presented with the situation from the Fearless Ferret versus Zorpox the Conqueror in issue #143.

The only thing she had ever asked for was a motorcycle. And she got it. She thought about how the sleek black bike suited her personality and style. When she rode she compared herself to a hunter constantly searching for her next meal. Her next meal of course was her next fight. To her pummeling the scum who infested the city filled her stomach just as well as a hearty meal.

After securing her helmet she started up her beautiful machine. She imagined it purring as she revved the engine. She smirked behind her visor as she gently stroked the chassis with her fingers.

"Soon," she said soothingly. "Soon we'll see some action."

The engine roared as she sped off toward the rendezvous point she and her brothers had agreed to earlier tonight. Over the past several months it had been a hotbed of criminal activity, more notably the gangs that roamed the streets of the city almost unchecked. Most of the police force in Go City was either corrupt or too afraid to go out on patrol. They knew they were almost as likely to get a bullet in the back from their partner as they were from one of the thugs or gang members who ruled the streets.

Such matters did not concern Shego though. She had the utmost trust in her brothers, and knew that they would never betray her. Even if they weren't family, it would go against every superhero ideal that Hego stood for. Nor was she worried about the weapons carried by the scum she fought against. In her experience, her plasma was a lot more efficient and effective than the guns wielded by those on the other side of the law. She could normally disarm them or destroy the weapons before they were even brought to bear.

But it was in hand to hand combat that Shego had the best time. She relished the thought of unleashing blow after blow against her completely outmatched opponents. She loved the expressions on the faces of her foes when they realized they could not land a hit or blade on her. Their helplessness and desperation made her feel good about herself. For the longest time she had thought of herself as a freak, just as others had. She had been ashamed of her green skin and glowing hands. But no longer. Every time she could use her powers to help others, every time she saw people fear her rather than mock her, she felt nothing but happiness.

She scanned the sidewalks and alleyways as she sped down the nearly deserted streets of the city. Most people were off the streets this late at night. Those who weren't were either stupid, desperate, or up to no good. And in her line of work she always suspected the worst about those who she saw.

The sound of a gunshot got her attention. She looked to the source of the sound and saw that it was an alley coming up on her right. She figured that it had to be some sort of gang turf war. There were no stores in this part of the neighborhood, so it was unlikely that there was any kind of robbery in progress.

She brought her motorcycle to a halt, realizing that she was only a block or so away from where her brothers would be meeting her. They would be here in only a matter of minutes, but she didn't feel like waiting for them. She couldn't even if she wanted to. If there was a gun in play then someone's life was in danger. She couldn't take the chance that it was an innocent life.

After racing over to the entrance of the alley she peeked around to get a better look of what was going on. The dim streetlights illuminated the area just enough, and she saw that it was what she had suspected. Two groups of young men were engaged in a brawl, fighting with knives and at least one baseball bat. There were already a couple of bodies on the ground, but at least they were moving. She couldn't see anyone armed with a gun.

She decided that she could not waste anymore time. Her hands were blazing with glowing green energy as she dashed into the alley and toward the closest of the gang members. He was standing over a body, ready to deliver what would be a killing blow with the knife in his hands. At the last moment he realized that someone was coming up behind him and turned to face the threat. He received a hard fist to the face for his efforts. The knife dropped from his hands as he spit out several of his teeth before he grabbed his bleeding mouth. Knowing that she couldn't waste too much time on one individual, Shego kicked him in the stomach, sending him tumbling into a brick wall of one of the apartment complexes that bordered the alley.

Shego looked down at the person who was lying on the ground. To her surprise, a young woman stared back up at her. Maybe it wasn't a gang war after all. When she offered the girl a hand she was surprised yet again. The female had grabbed hold of the knife and slashed at Shego's hand. The young heroine was able to pull it back just in time and the blade caught nothing but air.

"What are you doing!" Shego yelled at the woman who she had just rescued.

Looking around she saw that there were more women in the alley. And each was fighting against a man. It finally clicked in her mind that it was indeed a gang war. It had been sexist of her to assume that girls couldn't do this kind of thing. She would not make the same mistake.

Shego swiftly kicked the knife out of the girl's hand before using the other foot to send a thunderous boot into her ribs. The female gang member clutched her body in pain as she writhed around on the ground. Seeing that task completed, Shego turned to face her next victim.

She saw that the men were beginning to scurry away from the fight, leaving Shego to face off against the female gang. Perhaps they knew what was in store for them if they stayed here to face the wrath of Team Go. She sincerely hoped that her reputation alone was enough to make criminals flee in terror. But apparently the others were either too proud, or too stupid to do the same thing. But that was fine. It just meant that she would get to have some fun. And with no victims to worry about anymore she could savor the moment.

Four young women, a couple of them teenagers, slowly began to walk toward the female member of Team Go. Two stood directly in front of her while the other two moved around to her left and right. Each carried a knife in their hands.

Shego ignited her fists once more and grinned at the women.

"So you came to play?" she asked them.

She received no response. None of their expressions changed. Clearly Shego was the only one who was enjoying the moment.

"Then let's play."

In a flash Shego lashed out at the woman on her left, sending the back of her hand crashing into the gang member's face. At the same time the other three women decided to attack her. She dodged and weaved out of the way of their blades, all the while thrusting her own fists and feet at their bodies. She more often than not made solid contact, sending the women staggering backwards to regroup.

"Is that all?" she pouted.

One of the girls snarled with anger as she lunged forward with her weapon aimed at Shego's stomach. The green-hued woman was easily able to grab hold of her arm before the blow came close to making contact. She twisted the young woman's arm until she heard a satisfying cry of pain from her opponent's lips.

She tossed the woman aside as she ducked under a wide swipe aimed at her head from another of the criminals. While crouched down she clenched her fist and delivered a fierce uppercut to the bottom of her attackers jaw. The woman's head snapped back as she fell back onto her backside.

Shego was enjoying this moment. She always did when she fought multiple people at the same time. It was like a dance to her, moving her body with her opponents as they struck at her with fists and weapons. It was a matter of skill in her mind, being able to not only react in time to avoid being hurt and unleash attacks of her own, but to also be able to predict the moves of her foes. She fought with finesse and grace rather than the blunt force of her brothers. To her this was a game as much as it was a job.

The woman who she had not yet hurt lunged at her with her knife, ready to drive it into Shego's belly. With her usual elegance she was able to easily twirl aside and let the momentum of her attacker carry past her. Her eyes widened when she heard a bone-chilling scream.

The fourth woman, the one who she had struck with the back of her hand at the beginning of the fight, now had a long knife protruding from her midsection. Shego hadn't realized that the woman had been sneaking up behind her. The gang member who had stuck the knife into her own friend let go and turned to run away. Her friends did the same.

Shego rushed to the wounded girl and knelt down beside her. The girl was a bloody mess. Her eyes were wide and her breathing was rapid. The heroine grabbed hold of her and cradled her against her body.

"You're gonna be okay. Do you have a phone? Anything I can use to call an ambulance?"

The girl, no older than eighteen by Shego's estimation, gurgled blood as she spoke.

"Pocket…" she said faintly.

Without even asking which one Shego began diving into the girls pockets in a desperate attempt to find the one that contained her cell phone. She found it in the second pocket she checked and flipped the device open. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the dead battery message as she attempted to dial 9-1-1. Never before had she even considered carrying a phone while fighting crime. She had never needed one before. It was a decision she was now regretting.

"You stupid…" she began to say to the girl before realizing that now was not a good time to be insulting her. "Just… just hang on."

Shego ran out of the alley and looked around desperately to find someone, anyone. But the streets, like they were when she had arrived, were empty. And no one would open their doors to someone pounding on them, screaming for them to call an ambulance.

At last she decided that she at least had to try to stop the bleeding. She had zero medical training and no supplies of any kind. But she had to at least try to do something. She was too panicked to think of anything else to do.

The girl had not moved in the few seconds that Shego had been gone. The young heroine placed her hands on the wound and put pressure on it, knowing at least that much about what to do with a wound. She saw the girl's eyes beginning to dim.

"No!" she yelled. "Please don't die. Please don't die. Please don't die…" she said over and over.

She knew that repeating the mantra would do nothing to stop the bleeding or prevent death from taking the girl. But she didn't know what else she could do. A pool of blood was rapidly expanding around them, and the girls clothes, as well as Shego's gloves and front of her outfit, were soaked with it.

Shego's heart was thumping and her breathing was heavy when she realized the girl's own breathing had stopped.

"No…" she whispered. "No! Fight it! Open your eyes!"

She received no response from the corpse. There was only an eerie silence that hung in the air. To her that silence was louder than any siren or scream she had ever heard.

She was in a daze when she stood up. She couldn't bring herself to look down at the lifeless eyes of the dead girl. All she could do was slowly walk back to her motorcycle.

There was no one else around. No one had seen anything. The only people who knew what had just taken place were Shego and the women she had just fought against.

As she sped off she could only think of one thing. She wanted to go home. But she still had a duty to do. She had to get to the rendezvous point to meet her brothers. She hoped that she would be able to think of an explanation for her blood-soaked uniform.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ten minutes passed. Twenty. Thirty. An hour. That was when she finally gave up.

An hour alone with your thoughts could do terrible things to a person. In Shego's case, she just kept replaying the events in her mind over and over. She couldn't get the terrified look of the girl's eyes out of her head. The wounded gang member knew that she was going to die. She was stabbed by one of her own friends. And there was nothing that anyone could do to save her.

But Shego knew better. She had allowed it to happen. She could have defeated the four young women easily. She wouldn't have broken a sweat. They were absolutely no threat, and their fighting skills were laughable. But she had wanted to have fun. She had wanted to enjoy the fight, to enjoy toying with her foes. And tonight it had cost someone their life.

After thinking about that for an hour she finally realized that her brothers were not coming. She didn't know why or where they were, but they were not here. More importantly, they were not with her when she had fought. She rationalized that had they been there, this would not have happened. It was the only thing she could think of that gave her any comfort.

She drove straight home as she continued thinking about the fight. By the time she entered Go Tower she was a nervous wreck. Hey eyes widened when she saw her brothers sitting at the table in their command room.

"Shego!" Hego called out. "Where have you… what happened to you?"

There were pizza boxes on top of the table. Her four brothers had been sitting there stuffing her faces before turning to look at the source of Hego's horrified stare.

"What… is going on here?" she managed ask.

"Oh, we got free pizza," Mego said happily. "That's what we were debating about when you left. See this guy was so happy that we saved his business from being robbed that he decided that-"

"You were here eating pizza this whole time?" she screamed.

"Well, as heroes how could we say no to such a generous-"

"You mean to tell me that you weren't out there at all? You weren't planning on coming and helping me?"

"Come on sis! Free pizza!" he said, seemingly unconcerned about the red stains on the green portions of his sister's Team Go uniform. "You gotta just sit back and enjoy the perks that come with being a superhero from time to time. We figured that we had earned a night off."

"Shego, what happened to you?" Hego repeated.

"There… there was a fight," she said in a monotone voice. "A girl died."

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that. This is truly a tragic loss for the good people of Go City."

"Yes," she said absentmindedly as she moved past them toward the hallway.

"Do you want us to save you any?" Mego called after her.

She didn't respond. She just knew she needed a shower. The blood would be cleaned off with little effort. But she wasn't sure that her conscious, or her bitterness toward her brothers, could be washed away as easily.

XXXXXXXXXX

Drew watched with interest as men were moving more crates into the room. This would be his room, his laboratory. It was from here that he would perfect his own research and contribute to Project PARROT. That was what Mayor Byrd had hired him for two years ago. In that time he had continued his studies on the theories and formulas that would be necessary to make the project a reality.

Over in one of the corners he saw that two men were busy putting one of the large machines together that would be used in the project. Much to his annoyance he saw that they were doing it all wrong. He stood up and stomped over to the incompetent men.

"No no no!" he yelled. "This wire goes here. And that wire goes there," he said as he roughly took hold of the wires from them and placed them in their correct locations.

"Lighten up boss," one of the men said.

"I can't lighten up you fool. If there is even the slightest problem we could have catastrophic results with these devices."

"Whatever, you're the scientist. I'm just paid to put it all together."

"Then do it right you meathead."

The theories were sound. They were made even more credible once Team Go had emerged. For the past two years, Drew had watched with interest as the local news had more and more stories about the resident team of superheroes. He saved every newspaper article there was about them, trying to find more hints and ideas about how they had come to be. He and the mayor already had a good idea of how it had happened, but it never hurt to look for more answers.

Drew walked over to another one of the machines in the room. It was not yet operational, but once it was it would be the most critical piece in the entire operation. Next to the machine, a vault that was built into the wall held one of the most precious objects in the world. Only a few people on Earth actually knew it existed, and Mayor Byrd was the only person who knew the combination to its secure resting place.

Inside the vault in a lead case was the only remaining shard of a rainbow colored comet.


	3. Backlash

Authors Note: Thanks again to everyone for reading and reviewing. Your support means a lot to me.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kim Possible.

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

_Thought of the day: If you don't expect gratitude you'll seldom be disappointed._

XXXXXXXXXX

Project PARROT: Physiological Augmentation Refining Radioactive and Organic Technology.

It was the project he and many others had devoted years of research to. It was the dream children and adults alike made reality. Mayor Byrd was setting out to create a team of superheroes to maintain order and control in Go City. It was the solution to the city's problems. It was also the cause of most of them. And it was all thanks to a tiny shard of rock.

Drew found the irony of it amusing. He wouldn't have always thought so. But he had long ago learned how mean-spirited people could be. He now felt indifferent toward the faceless mob.

Then there was the second layer to the situation. He knew very well what Byrd's intentions were if he actually did get his wish. Sure, he would use his team of superheroes for the public good; to an extent. They would be completely loyal to him. They would obey his orders, his will. Drew knew that the mayor would never relinquish his power as long as he had his small army in his back pocket. In fact, Drew knew that his ambitions would only grow if he got a taste of absolute power. With a team of real life superheroes at his disposal world domination was not just a dream of famous generals and conquerors of the past. It too could become a reality.

Drew let out a deep breath as he wiped his hand across his forehead. He instinctively pulled back the sleeve of his white lab coat and looked to his left wrist to check the time, but remembered that he was not wearing a watch as soon as he saw his bare flesh. Instead he turned around to check the wall-mounted clock behind him. It had been several hours now since his lunch break had ended. He wanted a break. He deserved a break. And so he would take one.

He stood and grabbed one of the chairs in the lab and dragged it over to where an old television sat on a small table. He set the chair down in front of it and turned it on. With no remote in sight he flipped through the channels manually searching for anything of value. He smiled as he thought about the millions of dollars of technology that was in this room alone, and yet there was not a simple remote control for the television to be found.

Many of the channels he tried gave him nothing but static or blank screens. This time his reaction was far less positive. The Nest didn't even have cable. At least this room didn't. Was Byrd really that cheap? He finally settled on the early evening news on one of the few channels available to him.

"Another murder on the north side last night in an alley near the corner of Halsted Street. A young woman's body was found lying there alone. Early reports are that she died of a stabbing wound to the abdomen, and further details will come following the autopsy."

Despite his ill-will toward the public, Drew never liked to see anyone die. He wasn't a monster, even if he sometimes worked for them. But his thoughts of the murder victim vanished from his mind as the anchorwoman continued speaking.

"Footage of a potential suspect was caught on a traffic light security camera," she said as the video footage replaced her face and began playing.

The footage showed a young woman clad in a black and green cat suit walking out of the alley and to a parked motorcycle. Red stains could clearly be seen on the green parts of her outfit. The video lasted only a few seconds, ending when the woman drove away from the alley where the murder took place.

"What do we have here?" he said softly to himself. "Has this angel fallen from grace?"

"Police have identified the woman as none other than Shego, a member of the superhero team known as Team Go. It is known that the police have contacted the team at their headquarters for her to be brought in for questioning. But other than this, neither the Go City police department nor Team Go has made any kind of statement."

Drew watched the story with fascination. He knew that Shego hadn't committed the murder. She and her brothers had been the faithful defenders of the city for two years now. For one of them to suddenly decide to betray the team and the cause was completely out of the question. Still though, the law was the law. The young woman would have to face the scrutiny of being a suspect. She would have to be brought in and questioned. Even Team Go was not above the law. But it didn't stop a wave of ideas from entering his mind.

He had been so focused on the story in front of him that he hadn't cared when he heard the door open behind him. But a furious shout soon got his attention.

"What are you doing Lipsky?" the all too familiar shrill voice shouted.

Drew stood up and turned to see the angry form of Mayor Byrd standing there with his hands on his hips.

"Nothing. I was just taking-"

"That's right! You were doing nothing! I'm not paying you to sit around here and watch TV!"

Drew looked down to the floor, unable to meet the angry gaze of his employer. But it didn't stop the mayor from continuing his assault.

"You think that you can try to be lazy on my watch?" he yelled. "If it wasn't for me you wouldn't even have a job here! You're a screw up, Lipsky! You always have been! You didn't even graduate college! And no school will take you back after the stunt you pulled!"

Drew almost winced at the mention of his past at his university. The mayor was right. With his record no reputable school would ever accept him into its ranks. And thus he would never be able to earn his doctorate and get the respect he truly deserved.

"And I can also ensure that no one in this city ever hires you. So you'd better not cross me again. You're not the only man out there who can do the things I need done. You're just the best at it, but don't think that even you aren't expendable. Everyone in this city is except me!"

Convinced that Byrd's rant was over, Drew looked back up at him and spoke with as much confidence he could muster.

"Please understand that the rest of the team and I have been working very hard lately," Drew said calmly. "The devices and machines for Project PARROT are almost ready for their first test subject."

"You had better hurry up. Everything needs to be completed in the next few months or else it's over for all of us. And this includes having this project make a positive impact on the public."

Drew knew what he was referring to. In only a few short months Byrd's term as mayor would be over. His public opinion was at an all time low. If things continued how they were he was guaranteed to not be reelected. That was why the project not only had to be finished by then, but also had to begin to clean up the city's crime. Once the people got a look of Byrd's creations, his champions, they would love and adore him. He would be a hero himself for creating an unstoppable force of crime fighters.

"I assure you that things will be ready in the next few days. There are still certain parts that have not yet arrived. They are absolutely necessary in order for the testing to begin."

"Don't worry Lipsky, you'll be getting your equipment tonight. There's a midnight shipment coming in at the port. Nobody knows about it except for me and the people directly under me," he said before changing subjects. "By the way, have you found a suitable subject for the first transformation attempt?"

Drew walked over to one of his tables and began searching through papers. He nodded to himself when he finally found what he was looking for.

"Yes Mayor Byrd. I have her details right here."

Byrd snatched the paper from Drew's fingers and began reading it aloud to himself.

"Electra Nikonechnai, former Soviet Olympic gymnast, moved to America in 1992 with her family, blah blah blah," he said as he quickly lost interest in the personnel file. "So you're sure this woman will be capable of receiving the treatments that you and the other scientists have come up with?"

"Well there are no guarantees to any of this of course. This is all highly experimental and ground-breaking research," Drew explained. "But we believe that her body is capable of handling the immense alterations that will be thrust upon it. She's more than willing to risk it, if you're worried about a potential lawsuit. She already signed the wavier."

Byrd laughed at insinuation that he was worried.

"Lawsuit? If anything goes wrong this woman will never see the light of day again. There will be nobody to sue us. Furthermore, this project and this place don't even exist as far as anyone in the public is concerned."

"Yes, yes I suppose you're right," Drew agreed. "But I firmly believe that everything will go according to plan."

"Good," Byrd said delightedly. "Electra Nikonechnai will be the first of many to march out of this laboratory and crush every adversary, every criminal, and every person who dares get in my way! Then there will finally be peace in this city. And soon enough there will be peace in the entire world!"

Drew nodded silently as the mayor went on.

"Other than the parts that you need, is everything else in this lab fully operational?"

"Yes, I have tested out several of the machines and can personally guarantee that they work perfectly," Drew said as he walked over to one of them and placed a hand on it. "This one can change a person's skin pigment, even to a color that is not natural to the human body. I remember you said that superheroes need to have distinct physical features besides just wearing masks. With this you can change a person's skin color to resemble what Shego and Mego of Team Go have. Or you can go with any other color in the spectrum such as red or blue."

"I am pleased to hear this. Now get back to work. I would hate for anything unfortunate to happen to you when we are so close to achieving success."

"Yes Mayor Byrd. Right away."

With that, Mayor Byrd turned and exited the room. A hateful glare watched him every step of the way.

XXXXXXXXXX

Images still flashed in her head when she closed her eyes. It took a lot to keep her mind off of the events of a couple nights ago.

Shego was in her room lying in bed. Her attempts to lose herself in a novel had failed. She wished that she could escape into a world of fiction and fantasy. She didn't even think of the fact that she was actually living in such a world. Superheroes were not supposed to exist in the real world. But her mind was too focused on other things to realize this.

She had come to a decision earlier. She no longer considered her great powers to be a blessing. They were what she had originally decided they were. They were a curse. Had these powers not been thrust upon her she wouldn't have been in the position to see that girl die. If not for her that girl would still be alive. But what could she do? She couldn't change the fact that she did have these powers. She couldn't change the fact that she was a member of Team Go. And she couldn't change the fact that without her a lot more people would be dead. It was just so much easier to be able to put a face on one side of the argument. On one side she had countless lives that she had saved, and none of them had a name or face to go with them. They were just numbers. But on the other she had a teenager who had died in her arms. Her last words, her last breath, had both been in Shego's presence. And that hurt more than she would ever admit to anyone.

She glared over to her door when she heard a loud knock on it. It was too loud to be any of her younger brothers. No, this was the authoritative and super-strong knock of Hego. After all, what was the point of having enhanced strength if you didn't get to show it off? It was followed by an annoying, angry call.

"Shego? Are you in there?"

Sometimes his stupidity just made her want to punch him in the face. She always had plenty of opportunities when they were sparring. But they never satisfied her. She was never angry with him when they sparred. It was moments like this that would be the best time to unleash her fury on him.

"What do you want?"

"I want you to open the door. We need to talk."

She let out an annoyed sigh as she stood up and went to unlock her door. He barged in and took a seat on her bed. She remained standing there looking at him with folded arms.

"Shego… sister, do you know why I'm here?"

"No. But I assume you're about to tell me."

He nodded.

"What happened with you the other day, it's become a bit of an issue."

A bit of an issue. It had become _a bit _of an issue. She didn't know whether she should scream at him or smack him across the face. Or both.

"The media is having a field day with what happened. There's video footage of you fleeing the scene of the crime."

"I didn't do anything! I tried to save her!"

He put his arms up to try to make her settle down.

"I know, I know," he said calmly. "Trust me; no one here doubts your word. Nor do we believe you were the one to actually kill her."

"You mean people actually think…" she whispered.

"Well, there will always be some people out there who want to believe in a conspiracy. Just don't pay any attention to them."

She hadn't heard a word he just said.

"After everything I've done for this city, there are actually people out there who think I'm a murderer?"

"Look the point isn't what's true or not. The point is that this is severely tarnishing the image of the team."

She looked at him wide-eyed, her hands unconsciously forming fists.

"You're worried about our reputation?"

"Of course. Team Go has worked hard to build a good reputation. The public perceives us as good, wholesome and morally sound. And we are. We can't have things like this undermining our popularity and fame."

"I see…"

"Now what you did the other day was reckless. You went out to fight crime alone. There's no 'I' in team, Shego. What if you had been the one to get hurt rather than some girl?"

Some girl? Of course, to Hego it was just another faceless person. It was a number to him, like everyone else out that that he and the rest of the team had saved. But to Shego she was more than a number. She had a face.

"You'd better not be saying what I think you're saying," she warned him.

"What I'm saying is that it was foolish to go out by yourself. A good superhero always has a sidekick. Whether that sidekick fights by his side or is at home behind the scenes, you always need someone to have your back. And you broke this rule of superheroes by going solo."

Yet another lecture about the rules of being a superhero. He always seemed to have some reference for whatever the scenario was. Only this time she didn't just tune him out while nodding mindlessly. Her ears were wide open for this one. And it couldn't have had a worse effect.

Shego couldn't hide the growing anger in her voice.

"Are you somehow trying to tell me that this is my fault?"

"I'm not here to pass judgment or place the blame on anyone. But-"

"But? But what?" she cut him off. "Do I have to remind you that we were all supposed to go out that night? Do you remember that you agreed to meet me at the rendezvous point with the rest of the team? And where were you, Hego? Why weren't you with me that night?"

"Well the team voted that-"

"I don't care about what the team voted!" she shrieked. "You weren't out there because you were sitting on your ass stuffing your face with pizza all night while a girl died in my arms! So don't you even try to pass the blame onto me!"

"The rest of the family agreed that we needed a night off. Even superheroes need a break from it sometimes. Like when the Fearless Ferret-"

"If you make another freakin' Fearless Ferret reference you're going to need to find a way to eat that pizza through a straw."

"Fine. But the point is that we're still human. We need time off every once in a while."

"We don't get time off, Hego," she sighed. "The bad guys don't take a day off. Crime doesn't take a day off. You've seen how bad this city has gotten. How can we live with ourselves if someone dies when… when we could have prevented it?"

The image of the dying girl returned to her head. Shego could have prevented her death. She should have prevented it. But she didn't. She had been too busy having fun. She had not taken the job seriously enough. Never again.

"How can we protect the people out there if we're not rested and at our best?" Hego countered. "I know that we have great responsibility with our powers. But what good are we to the people if we're too worn out to defend them?"

Shego didn't care about his argument. He hadn't been there. He didn't experience what she did. If he had then he would be singing a different tune.

"Just get out of my face, Henry. I'm not in the mood for this right now."

Hego didn't even bother to correct her for using his real name. He frowned as he stood up and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. He knew that she was in a bad place right now. And despite the fact that he felt that she had put herself in the situation to begin with, he still knew that he had to be understanding and compassionate for the good of the team.

"Look sis, I think I know a way to cheer you up. The mayor is holding a charity fundraising dinner tonight in our honor. We've all been invited to the Go City Banquet Hall as his guests. The thing is going to last the whole night. Tons of food and entertainment and fun. I think you'll have a great time, and it will help take your mind off of what happened the other day."

She didn't even bother wondering how Mayor Byrd had the gall to be throwing some kind of fundraiser when the city was in chaos. He and his wealthy upper-class friends would be stuffing their faces and talking about themselves all night long. Meanwhile it would be another night of crime and terror for everyone else who wasn't as fortunate. She knew her answer without having to think about it.

"No Hego. I just can't do that. This isn't a game to me anymore. This isn't some great honor or blessing. This is a war. And I can't sit back and socialize with all of those privileged fat cats who couldn't give a damn about the rest of the people in this city when they're all at risk. You can go if you want, but the rest of us are going on patrol tonight."

"Well actually… the rest of the team has already agreed to go to the dinner. I mean, how could we say no to this honor? We're finally getting to enjoy all the benefits of these great powers. Isn't this the kind of thing you deserve after all of the years of being so unhappy and ashamed about your powers?"

She closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. She knew on some level he was right. After years of wondering why she had been cursed with her new looks, after years of feeling like a freak, she did deserve to be treated like the hero that she was. But at the same time she knew that she couldn't abandon the people who were counting on her. To do so would make her no better than the wealthy men and women who would be attending the dinner.

She looked him dead in the eyes and refused to waver from her answer.

"I'm sorry, but the answer is still no. You guys go have your fun. But I'm going to be doing what you said we would be doing two years ago."

She turned to leave her room, but was stopped when Hego grabbed her arm. She spun around to look at him. A serious expression was etched on his face.

"You can't go out alone again. What did we just talk about? Do you really want another disaster to happen?"

Even with his superior strength, Hego could not maintain his grip on her arm when she was roused to anger. She yanked it away forcefully, catching him by surprise.

"Don't suddenly think you can tell me what to do. I've always followed your rules because they were the right thing to do. You made decisions that a leader should make. But not this time. I'm not going to follow orders from someone who is in this for the fame instead of the well-being of the public we're supposed to defend."

Without waiting for a reply she marched out of her room to try to get as far away from her older brother as she could.

"Shego!" he yelled after her. "I forbid you to go! As the team leader I will not stand for this disrespect!"

She stopped in her tracks and turned back to him.

"Try to stop me. We both know how that will turn out."

Her mood had gone from foul to furious. She no longer just wanted to be away from him in a different room. She had to get out of the Go Tower. It was only the early evening, but it was never too early to begin her hunting. And it would be a lot better than being confined to her island home with her eldest brother.

She grabbed the belongings that she needed for the night and stormed out of the tower. The last and most important item she stuffed in her pocket before she left was her cell phone.

XXXXXXXXXX

Shego desperately wished that she could feel the cool breeze against her skin as she sped down one of the sparsely populated streets of the industrial district of Go City. Already this evening she had broken up a gang fight and stopped the robbery of a convenience store. In both instances the police were left with several broken, bleeding bodies to rush to the hospital. She took no chances of letting anyone else die. She would beat them to a bloody pulp; she would break bones and tear ligaments when needed. But they would always be left alive for someone else to clean up.

All of this had worked up a sweat that she desperately sought relief from. But she knew that wearing her helmet was more important than the refreshment that being without it would bring. Her superpowers had blessed her with many things that made her superior to the common man, but a thicker skull was not one of them.

She could smell the water in Go City Harbor as she continued prowling the streets searching for any sign of trouble. This place like most others was deserted at night, save the desperate criminals who sought to make a living from the suffering of others. The headlight of her motorcycle illuminated the docks off in the distance. It was there that she saw something out of the ordinary.

There were workers out there. They weren't supposed to be out at night. It was already past midnight. Never mind the fact that ships were not scheduled to make deliveries at night. Even if they were the crews would be foolish to be out unloading the cargo without some sort of protection. She decided to investigate the situation for herself. If they were public workers then they could use her assistance. And if they were something worse then she would merely be doing her civic duty.

She pulled her motorcycle up around twenty yards away from where they were standing. After dismounting it and placing the helmet on its seat she walked purposefully over to the workers. A number of them were still hauling crates to a nearby truck, while others had caught sight of her and stared in her direction. As she grew closer a pair of them moved to stand in front of her, blocking her view of the others.

"What seems to be the problem?" one of the men asked.

She examined the two up and down from their stubbly beards to their heavy leather work boots. Both were muscular which she didn't think was unusual for men who lifted and moved cargo for a living. But both of them seemed to have an authoritative confidence about them. Most men would be at least a little nervous about being confronted by her.

If they thought they were intimidating her then they couldn't have been more wrong. Her voice held nothing but cold professionalism when she replied.

"Just wondering what's going on here. You people are either stupid or getting paid a ton of money to be out here at this hour loading stuff into that truck."

"Look lady, this is none of your business," the second man said. "We're doing just fine here. Now if you don't mind we're in a hurry."

She tried to step around them, but they again barred her path. She glared at them, but they showed no signs of moving.

"I suggest that you don't do that again," she warned them. "I'm not in a very pleasant mood tonight."

"Yeah? Well this here is private property," the first man said as he nodded off to the crates that were being moved. "And if you try to intrude then we'll be forced to defend ourselves and our employer's property. This is none of your business. So run along."

The other man cracked his knuckles in an attempt to emphasize the point. Shego was used to people trying to threaten her. It seemed that no matter how many criminals she put behind bars that there were still people out there who thought they could take her. She knew in her gut that something was off about these two and this whole situation. She wasn't the police. She didn't need proof. Her instincts were enough for her.

"Yeah… no."

Without warning she sent a fist flying into the first man's face. She was rewarded with a loud crunch as she shattered his nose and sent him falling to the ground in agony.

The second of the men swung as hard as he could at Shego's head, but was still not even close to hitting her. After ducking under the swing with little effort she lashed out and struck him in his ribcage. He stumbled back a step wheezing, but he would get no respite. A second fist crashed into his jaw sending him tumbling to the wooden planks of the dock and out of the fight.

The commotion had gotten the attention of the other workers who all began making their way toward the lone woman. Some carried pipes and crowbars, while others had nothing but their bare fists. It didn't matter to the young heroine. She had faced worse odds than this before. And back then she had still considered it a game. Back then she didn't attempt to be as clean and efficient as she could be. But now she had her mind focused on one thing and one thing alone. She had to end this fight as quickly and brutally as possible.

A man attempting to swing a lead pipe at her chest looked at her in horror when she caught his wrists in mid swing. Using her superior strength she pried his hands off of the pipe and bent his wrists at an angle that should have been impossible for the human anatomy to attain. After hearing numerous satisfying cracks she released him and he, like the other two, fell as he screamed.

Her hands ignited and she hurled balls of fiery green energy in the direction of her attackers. Some dove for cover behind the crates and boxes on the dock while others were hit squarely in their chests. The energy was not lethal, but would knock them out of the melee. A few errant shots slammed into the crates and in one case, a light post. Shego growled in frustration as she saw the metal pole crash down onto the wood and begin sparking. But she had no time to do anything about it. There were still people who she had to deal with.

Two more men came at her with weapons in their hands. As she had been doing for the past two years, she ducked and weaved through their blows with grace. But unlike what she used to do, she did not let them get a chance to recover and try again. She struck hard and with no mercy, shattering bones and spilling blood as she did so. In an instant these two were down and crying out in pain like the rest of them. She looked around to see how many were left and noticed that they had began to run for the truck they had been loading up.

Before she could turn to go back to her motorcycle she saw a final man swing at her with a crowbar. She caught the metal weapon as it came down on her and ignited her hands. The object snapped in two, leaving a confused and terrified man standing before her. He received a punch to the gut for his efforts, and he fell to his hands and knees trying to catch his breath. But he would not be able to do so, as Shego grabbed him by his collar and picked him up off the ground. She held him a foot off of the dock and stared at his terror-stricken eyes intently.

"What was in those crates!" she roared.

The man's legs squirmed in the air as he tried to loosen the grip she had on his shirt. After several seconds she began shaking him and repeated the question.

"What was in the crates?"

"I- I don't know!" he said quickly. "They didn't tell us!"

"Who is 'they'?"

"I can't-"

"You can and you will! Who are you working for!"

"Please don't make me! You don't want to mess with these people!"

In her anger she lifted him up higher into the air. Her arm was fully extended now and he was several feet from the surface. Her free right hand became engulfed in emerald fire as she formed a fist and held it up threateningly at him.

"No, you don't want to mess with me," she corrected him. "If you don't tell me who you're working for then I'll make sure you can never work again."

"Okay okay! Please- please just don't hurt me. Please, I have a family."

The mention of a family lessened her anger inside, but she did nothing to show this on the outside. She continued holding him in the air with a glowing green fist ready to strike him at a moment's notice.

"It was the mayor. The mayor hired us to deliver equipment to his lab."

"What lab?"

"I don't know. It's some place outside of the city. Real rural place. Inside of a mountain or something. I thought it sounded crazy too, but some of the guys have actually been there."

Her rage returned at the mention of the mayor. It figured that he would be behind a shady operation like this.

"You claim it's inside a mountain. Is it Go Mountain?"

"Yeah. There ain't any other big mountains around here. It had to be Go Mountain. I told you everything I know. Please just don't hurt me."

The flame in her hand extinguished as she set the man back down on the ground. But before she released him she spoke to him in a very serious tone.

"Go home now. Go back to your family and never work for the mayor again. I'll remember your face. And if I ever catch you doing anything illegal like this again you'll wish that you had gotten off as easily as the rest of these scumbags."

The man looked around seeing men either unconscious or whimpering and squirming in pain. He knew without a doubt that most of them would require medical attention. He nodded nervously at her threat.

"Yeah. I'm… I'm going."

The man ran away from the scene as quickly as he could and never looked back at the woman who could have broken his body, or worse.

Shego walked around the dock for a couple of minutes looking for any sign of what might have been the cargo that the mayor was expecting. Her search was rewarded when she found a crate that had been left behind by the few men who had escaped. She tore the cover off of it and found various pieces of electronic equipment inside. She didn't know exactly what they were, but if there was one thing she knew about Mayor Byrd by now, it was that anything he was up to couldn't be good. And the fact that this shipment had been scheduled for a secret midnight delivery did nothing to ease her suspicion.

This, combined with new information about some lab hidden in Go Mountain made her feel that something was very wrong in Go City. And it was all going on underneath her and her brother's noses.

XXXXXXXXXX

Drew watched with interest as Mayor Byrd unleashed yet another tirade on one of the men who had been responsible the equipment shipment the previous night. Even in his burgundy suit the mayor still seemed to be able to intimidate the man.

Things had not gone according to plan. While most of the electronic equipment had successfully made it to The Nest, the majority of the men did not. What the few people who had escaped police custody told them was alarming. They had a problem. And it was a problem in the form of a self-righteous young superhero.

She wasn't supposed to be there. She wasn't supposed to be out at all that night. Byrd had purposefully held the dinner to celebrate the achievements of Team Go that evening. The streets were supposed to be clear of any potential problems while the final pieces needed for Project PARROT were delivered. But now a few components were missing. Drew was certain that he would be able to continue on without them. Some of the pieces were just spares, while others he could find a way to do without. But that wasn't the issue that concerned the mayor the most. Shego had now stuck her nose in his most personal business. The entire operation was at risk. And if the corruption ever came to light then it would be the end for everyone involved in it. They could not risk that happening. The situation had to be dealt with swiftly.

Drew ran his fingers through his thick black hair trying to think of a solution. He was a genius after all; he should have been able to find a way out of this whole mess. But the constant screeching of the mayor was threatening to drive him mad. Part of him wanted to go over to the mayor and tell him to shut his annoying mouth. But he knew that the momentary feeling of satisfaction would be outweighed by the consequences of doing so. He needed to bite his tongue for the moment.

Blissful silence finally settled in the lab after Byrd ordered the incompetent men out of The Nest. He stomped over to where Drew was working and sat down beside him. But such peace did not last for long, and the mayor soon began ranting again.

"I can't believe that this is happening! All I ask is for one night off from those fools, and this is what I get? Can that stubborn woman not accept a damn dinner held in her damn honor?"

Drew knew the question was rhetorical and kept his mouth shut. The last thing he wanted was to be a target of the annoying man's wrath.

"I mean, come on! Her brothers know how to play this game. They go out, they save some lives, they become champions of the people, and they get rewarded for it. Then you have little miss collateral damage here blowing up my port and sending half a dozen men to the emergency room!"

He was right about that. The men that Shego had beaten were all in critical, but stable condition. She had done just enough damage to ensure that they would not be back doing any criminal activities for months, but did not put their lives at risk. The level of carnage inflicted was carefully applied and had just as much in common with art as it did violence.

Perhaps that was the answer. It gave Drew an idea.

"She's going to ruin everything!" Byrd whined.

"Mayor Byrd, I believe I may have an idea," Drew said calmly.

"Oh really? Please go on."

Drew set down the electronic objects he was working on onto the table and focused his full attention on his employer.

"Shego has already been in the news lately for her involvement in the death of that young woman on the north side of the city. Of course we both know that she didn't kill her, and that she must have done everything in her power to save her life."

"Of course. Are you going somewhere with this?"

Drew ignored the man's rudeness and continued.

"Last night she caused a lot of damage. The fallen light post caused a fire on the dock that the shipment was being unloaded onto. Several men are in the hospital now because of her. As you said, she caused a lot of collateral damage."

"I still don't see your point, Lipsky," Byrd said impatiently.

"It's simple. Shego is a loose cannon. She's taking her power and authority too far. She's starting to believe that she's above the law. That's the perception that we must make the people believe in."

A wicked grin spread on the mayor's face as he finally understood where Drew was going.

"So you want to run a smear campaign," he said thoughtfully. "You want to discredit her and destroy her reputation."

"Precisely. Even if she did somehow manage to figure out what's going on here, even if she did suspect you of any criminal activity, no one would believe her. No one would trust a masked vigilante who thinks she can do what she wants with no consequences. The public has already seen video of her fleeing the scene of a murder. What we need to do is turn the people against her completely."

"Yes, I like that. This is an excellent idea, Lipsky. I knew I hired you for something. Good work."

Drew was not used to praise, especially from this man. He decided to savor the moment.

"Thank you sir. I do my best."

"And you must continue to do your best. We are scheduled to conduct the first transformation attempt at the end of the week. You need to have everything prepared by then. I don't care what it takes. This lab must be fully operational."

"It will be. I was assembling the final machine before we began talking. Everything will be ready for Electra."

"Good. I will begin working with my advisors on coming up with the best way to discredit Shego. It's such a shame that she had to be so headstrong. Her brothers are good little pawns. They will fit right in with my new regime. But she is a cancer that needs to be cut out so that the rest of the body can survive. I think the first step will be to test the loyalty of Team Go. Tomorrow we're going to hold a little press conference."

"A press conference about what?"

Byrd stood up and smiled mischievously at his scientist.

"About the actions of our favorite little vigilante as of late."

Without saying another word, Byrd turned and strolled out of the room leaving Drew alone to finish his work. Everything would be completed on schedule. Nothing and no one would stand in his way. Especially now that he had come up with an entirely new piece to his plan.


End file.
